Flushable urinary catheter products made from water disintegrable materials are desirable because such catheters may be disposed of after use by flushing the catheter down the toilet. It is also desirable for urinary catheters to include a lubricous hydrophilic coating that becomes lubricous when wetted with a wetting fluid, such as water. Such lubricious hydrophilic coatings ease the insertion and removal of the catheter into and out of the patient.
However, hydrophilic coatings can be problematic for water disintegrable catheters because they typically require wetting with water to hydrate the coating. While the coating will become lubricious upon hydration, the water disintegrable material of the catheter may start to degrade and eventually become mechanically unstable. Thus, the water disintegrable catheter when in substantial contact with water eventually may not support catheter functionality and may not support the hydrophilic coating during use. For instance, as the catheter breaks down, the hydrophilic coating may become unstable and may not suitably adhere to the catheter. This can result in premature weakening of the catheter structure and separation of the hydrophilic coating from the catheter during use.